Financial education provision failing girls

TEENAGE girls in the UK are receiving significantly less financial education in school than boys, according to a report released today.

The Young Persons’ Money Index, published by financial education specialist IFS University College, reveals that at GCSE level where financial education is compulsory, only 36% of girls currently learn about personal finance, in comparison to 45% of boys the same age.

Girls are being left behind according to the study

In addition, it is not just the disparity in the numbers of students learning about finance where education provision is failing girls, but also in its delivery.

With 1.98 hours received a week, girls have significantly fewer classroom hours studying financial education when compared with the 2.36 hours boys receive.

Over the course of a standard 39-week school year, this equates to an extra 14.82 hours, or more than two extra school days dedicated solely to learning about personal finance.

Alison Pask, Vice Principal of IFS University College, said: “Women are already far more likely to suffer from financial exclusion in adulthood and while the introduction of financial education into the curriculum is a step in the right direction to tackle these problems, these figures clearly show that much more needs to be done to ensure it is delivered to a consistently high standard for every student.”